Hey y'all, I'm Danielle - the crazy behind this blog, where I share my creative life adventures as I survive life as a momma of 4 superheroes & wife to my best friend & fellow nerd. Life doesn't have to be perfect to be GREAT! You can reach me at danielle (at) busymomshelper.com - ABOUT -

Every year, our kiddos change – not only in height or attitude, but also their interests. This is a fun way to keep track of their changes from year to year, and what better time than the changing from 2016 to 2017?! These fun Free Printable Superhero Kids Year in Review sheets have plenty of space to fill things in. Then hang it on the wall, scrapbook it, or just put in a binder to look back on next year.

I wanted to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas!

I hope you have a wonderful holiday, with lots of family, friends, food and plenty of great memories. Hopefully some laughs in there, as well. Thank you so much from our family here at Busy Mom’s Helper!

Whether you need a treat for a holiday party, co-workers in the office, a tasty gift idea, or just for an afternoon break, this Christmas Snack Mix is super easy to make and tastes delicious! Plus, you can customize it to your own tastes, making it the perfect holiday treat.

See, it even LOOKS festive and tasty, right? Kids would have a BLAST helping to make this – and it’d be great for packaging nice and gifting to friends or neighbors. If your family doesn’t eat it all first, that is!

Ingredients

1- 12oz. Bag White Chocolate Chips

2 cups Cheerios

2 cups Chex Cereal

2 cups Pretzels

1 Cup Peanuts

1 Cup M&Ms

Directions

Mix cereals, pretzels, peanuts, and M&Ms in a large bowl.

Take your white chocolate chips and put in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Continue to do this until chips are all melted.

Pour chocolate over mixture and mix very well, making sure everything is well coated.

Next, spread the mixture on a parchment lined cookie sheet in a nice even layer.

This step is optional: Take any leftover chocolate and drizzle over the mixture.

Let dry, then break apart! It’s now ready to eat or store in an air tight container.

Since Christmas is fast approaching, some of us are making a mad-dash trying to find fun, budget-friendly and EASY gift ideas for neighbors, friends and more. These Printable Grinch Popcorn Wrapper Gift Idea are just the ticket – and about as easy as they come!

Aren’t they adorable?! We’ve got one of the Grinch himself, along with the sweet Cindy Lou Who. They print onto 8.5×11 paper – I recommend cardstock for durability and ease of folding smooth creases.

Once you’ve downloaded the two files and printed however many you want, cut out the large rectangle, fold the the two creases, then either glue (or tape) where the convenient line says ‘GLUE HERE’ on the inside of the back sheet.

Slide in a pack of microwave popcorn, and you’re all set to gift it to anyone left on your list! These would also be super cute party favors, or thank you’s for a mail person or delivery drivers.

As much as I love how Cindy Lou Who looks, I’m totally in love with the Grinch and his big grin! So sweet!

As we’re trying to raise funds for our adoption, we’re making a HUGE sale on these great gift ideas: 2017 Planners, Meal Plan Books and our Disney Books! For the printed books, it’s while supplies last only, so you need to act quick. PDF pricing is through the end of 2016. Any help is greatly appreciate as we’re working to add 3 more kiddos to our family and give them a loving home!

2017 Planners: January through December with monthly spreads (plenty of room for filling in appointments, dates, tasks, etc) as well as weekly spreads broken down into morning, afternoon & evening for better to-do management! Menu lists, chores and much more. Plenty of pages for notes, as well. 4 Cover options! Sized at 8.5×11

Meal Plan: 52 Weeks of meal plans already mapped out for your for breakfast, lunch AND dinner, then the menu links to each of the recipes in the back of the book! All family-friendly recipes we feed our own family with kids. Sized at 8.5×11

DisneyLAND Books: sized to 6×9, full color. Full of activities, games, coloring pages, memory recording, and even ride lists for Disneyland in California! LOTS of adorable autograph or photo scrapbooking pages, as well!

Merry Christmas!

This post was sponsored by Johnson & Johnson as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

I love the excitement in the air this time of year! Beautiful Christmas lights, fun carols being sung, the yummy food, and – of course – the presents. Another part that I truly enjoy is that the spirit of giving really comes alive during this season, although I wish it was more consistent throughout the year. As my kids have gotten older, I’ve realized that the whole ‘giving’ can be lost among the thrill of getting. Here’s 5 Tips for Teaching Children to Give, so we can all make this season a little brighter for others!

Tip #1: Include Everyone

If you leave it up to just them, it’s probably not going to happen. Try to include the whole family – or maybe divide it up with each child so they each get special me-mom-dad time! By making it a group effort, whether everyone or smaller bunches, there’s that support and feeling of working together. It not only helps teach kids to give back, but is a wonderful bonding experience, too!

Tip #2: Make it Fun, Let Them Shop!

As much as kids love picking out toys for their own wish lists, they sure do get excited getting to pick things out for others, too. Have them help you purchase a gift from the Save The Children “Gifts of Joy” holiday catalog, then Johnson & Johnson will match every donation (up to $450,000)! This is building on a three-year commitment of $10 million – that can make a HUGE difference!

Tip #3: Include Technology

Kids these days LOVE technology, right? Mine sure enjoy any chance they get to use it, so why not use that to do something for others? Right now, Johnson & Johnson will donate $1 to your choice of one of its trusted non-profit partners for every photo shared through their FREE Donate a Photo app. You can even share it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to encourage others to join in giving back! You can even donate one photo each day, so make it a fun game with your kids helping choose which photo, and which cause!

Since this app launched in 2013, 1.75 million photos have been donated from over 179,750 people. That’s incredible! Check them out online, or download the app from the app store.

Remember how we mentioned Save The Children above? They’re a longstanding global partner of Johnson & Johnson and are one of the important causes you can choose to support with the Donate a Photo app.

“Johnson & Johnson has curated a list of trusted causes, and you can donate a photo to one cause, once a day. Each cause will appear in the app until it reaches its goal, or the donation period ends. If the goal isn’t reached, the cause will still get a minimum donation.”

Tip #4: Focus on the GIVING, not the GETTING

I’ve been guilty of this before, too, and was so excited about getting something that I’m afraid I put too much focus on that part. It’s GREAT to be thrilled about getting a gift or service, but try focusing on the GIVING part of it at least as much, if not more. For example, spending hours making wish lists is a fun activity – but maybe also spend a long while making lists of acts of service your family can do this season.

Tip #5: Show Gratitude

Whenever you receive something, show gratitude – no matter how small. A simple drawing from my kids means so much to them, and they sure light up when I’m excited to receive it and proud of the work they put into it! Remember, to kids, the smallest things might mean the most. Work on this with your spouse, too – being grateful when your hubby unloads the dishwasher can show your kids that even simple acts of service – that might really be expected – are still very much appreciated and can help make someone’s life a little easier.

Remember, the BEST way for teaching your kids to give this season is by example – download the Donate a Photo app and start giving back now!

I can’t believe how fast Christmas is coming – but don’t worry, it’s not too late to get your holiday organized with our fabulous, festive Printable Holiday Planner! We’ve got everything her to help you keep your sanity during this busy season – from event calendar, to shopping lists and menus!

I’m in love with the festive, gold coloring and fun accents on these planning sheets! You can print off as many pages of each you need – maybe you need multiple pages of the gift list, or having several of the Christmas event calendar would be helpful? Then go right ahead – and allow these beautiful holiday organizing pages make your season a little less stressful. That’s a gift we could ALL use, right? 🙂

Just sign up above for our newsletter to gain access to lots of fun printables and even some discounts throughout the year on many of our products!

There’s so many great ideas for playful treats, especially during the holidays. These tasty – and easy to make – fun candy presents are the perfect holiday snack! Bring these to your next Christmas party, family gathering, or just because you want to – they’ll be a hit no matter the occasion!

Aren’t these Christmas treats super cute? I love them – plus they’re made with chocolate candies, so how could you go wrong with them, right? You can switch up the colors to match a certain pattern or color theme, or just so each of your kids have their favorite color in their holiday snack.

Ingredients

1 cup White Chocolate Melts/Discs

20-23 Miniature Milky Way Candy Bars

Airhead Extremes Candy Strips

Candy Hearts and Pearls

Directions

Unwrap all your candy bars and set them on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Now take your white chocolate discs and put in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Continue to do this until discs are all melted.

Let chocolate cool for a few minutes (if it’s too hot, it’ll melt the candy bar). Then dip candy bar in chocolate, make sure to get a nice even coat. Tap on edge to get rid of excess chocolate. Lay on parchment paper.

Take your extreme airheads and with a knife cut 2 inch strips. Take those strips and cut out each color so you’ll have 5 total strips. Continue to do this until you have 2 strips per present. Add 2 pieces of candy strips in a crossing pattern. Next, add 2 hearts with a pearl between them (this will make your bow). Let dry for about 10 minutes.

That’s it – these fun Christmas treats are ready to eat!

I feel like I need another holiday party just so I have an excuse to make a batch of these – without the risk of eating them all by myself. 😉

Celebrating New Year’s Eve doesn’t need to stop when you have kids. Plan a special night at home with fun games and food while you wait for midnight. Use this Printable New Year’s Eve Countdown to space the fun out all night.

Celebrating New Year’s Eve as a family is lots of fun, especially when the kids are old enough to stay awake until midnight, but young enough to think that it’s a special treat. Spread out the fun activities all night with a special surprise to open and do each hour. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

6:30 p.m. – Supper time!

Start the evening with a meal that everyone loves. I usually let the kids pick out their favorite junk food that we don’t eat the rest of the year, like pizza bagels or mozzarella sticks.

7:30 p.m. – Play a game together.

Play a board game or card game together. If the kids are younger, they can be on “teams” with parents.

8:30 p.m. – Dessert.

What’s a party without dessert? It can be as simple at store bakery cookies or as fancy as a build-your-own sundae bar.

9:30 p.m. – Play another game.

Choose something different from the earlier one. Go on a scavenger hunt around the house, play 20 Questions, or tic-tac-toe.

10:30 p.m. – Make resolutions for next year.

Take turns telling stories about the best memories from the past year. Choose something you want to do better or something new for this year.

11:30 p.m. – Get ready to countdown to midnight.

Gather drinks for toasting, noise-makers, and party whistles, and keep your eyes on the clock.

I printed my New Year’s Eve countdown on regular 8-1/2”x11” cardstock and cut out each countdown piece, then used some Glue Dots on the corners to attach them to the envelopes. The cards to go inside the envelopes are blank so you can write in whatever you want to do for the surprise is at the hour.

I love the ombre-like fading from dark purple to bright pink! These printables are so fun and will go great with and gold and sparkly accessories you want to add to your New Year’s Eve celebration.

Here are a few more things you’ll need for a fun New Year’s Eve party:

You know how fun it is to make festive treats during the holidays? I love it – and my kids sure do, too. What’s better is when they’re quick & easy, like these fun Santa Snacks using pretzels!

Super cute, right? Just grab the ingredients below, whip up these treats, and enjoy with family and friends. They’d be a huge hit for a holiday party, too!

Ingredients

1 ½ cup Red Candy Melts/Discs

Wilton’s Decorating Santa’s belt/Coat Kit

24 Square Waffle style Pretzels

Wilton’s Dab & Hold edible adhesive

Directions

Take the black candy stripes and cut 24 stripes to 1.5 inches.

Take your edible adhesive (you can use any type of edible adhesive you’d like…frosting, chocolate, etc.) and line one side of the belt buckle. Place buckle in the middle of the black candy strip. Let those dry.

Now take your red candy discs and put in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Continue to do this until discs are all melted.

Dip each pretzel in the red chocolate. Get a nice even coat and lay on parchment lined cookie sheet. (If chocolate is a little thick then just take a small knife and spread around the top of the pretzel to get that nice coat).

Add the belt to each pretzel as you take them out of the chocolate. Let dry for about 10-15 minutes.

That’s it – they’re ready to serve and enjoy!

Do you think it’d be weird to lay out Santa Coat Snacks for the Jolly Man on Christmas Eve? 😉

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MerryAndBright #CollectiveBias

Maybe I’m behind the times, but I just learned THIS YEAR about a fun way to surprise people for the holidays – you can ELF them! Whether it’s your neighbor, co-worker or friends, these You’ve Been ELFED Printables can help you put together the perfect gift this Christmas.

The first step is to choose who you’re going to ELF – we decided that one of our neighbors, who’s so kindly helped us with our yard this crazy year, was just the right target for our family to gift it to. Next, you need your supplies! Luckily, you can grab everything at Walmart, from tasty M&Ms Fun Size treats – peanut or milk chocolate – to all the packaging and decorating items you could want from American Greetings. The best part? With Walmart’s everyday low prices, mixed with American Greetings’ festive bags, tissue, stickers and fun greetings cards, you can quickly nab everything you need to create merry and bright connections.

I nabbed some adorable polka dot wrapping paper, a sparkly gift bag, bow and matching tissue paper. I also couldn’t resist their Promotional plush bear, Tinsel the Bear, that you can get for just $3.47 with the purchase of any American Greeting cards, or just get it for $6.97 outright. It’s so dang soft, I admit I’m tempted to keep it for myself! 😉

Since we’re all about making gift-giving EASIER, American Greetings even has a free ELFING printable you can include with your gift that has instructions, a poem and a small sign the recipients can hang on their door after they’ve been ‘ELFED’.

I loved the sparkly gift bag I got, but decided the wrapping paper was more what we wanted to use (so I’m saving the bag for later!) and took a plain ol’ box – I’m sure you have plenty of those lying around, too, right? Then we wrapped it up on the outside and stuck the curly bow on the side. The tissue paper popped up the top making it eye-catching and fun!

Okay, my kids convinced me to part with the bear – so sad! But I’m sure the family we’re giving it to will love the fluffy, soft fur, and they sure deserve it for all the kindness they’ve shown us this year.

Also to include in your gifts, we made these festive gift box printables – one with Elves, the other with ornaments and snowy background. All you have to do is DOWNLOAD AND PRINT: Elves or Ornaments, then cut it out, fold on the creases, and tape it into a box. They’re sized for an 8.5×11 sheet, and do best on cardstock.

These printable gift boxes would be just the right size to put in your M&M Fun Sized treats, or small toys if you’re gifting it to a family with kids! Add it to your gift bag (or box), and you’re set to go! We plan to leave it on our neighbors porch after school, since they usually arrive home not long after that. They’ll have no clue who it is, I hope!

I love that ELFING is an activity the whole family can join in on, and it teaches the kids the joy of giving to others – something we try to let them experience year-round, but especially during the holidays. AND you can teach them about saving money, earning $2 cash back with this Ibotta offer!

I can’t go through the holidays without watching The Grinch Who Stole Christmas – both the cartoon movie and the live-action. They’re amazing and beautiful! I couldn’t resist whipping up these fun Bottle Cap Grinch Ornament Printables, and love how they turned out. This printable sheet makes it easy to decorate your tree with Grinch-themed ornaments!

See, aren’t the totally adorable? We’ve featured little Cindy-Lou Who, the faithful companion Max, and – of course- the good ol’ Grinch himself.

Note: print onto an 8.5×11 sheet and do ACTUAL SIZE, not TO FIT or they’ll be too small. We recommend using glossy photo paper if you have it.

Supplies

Printable (above)

Bottle Caps

Tape or Glue

Ribbon, for hanging

Scissors or 1 inch Hole Punch

Directions

After you’ve downloaded and printed the sheet, cut it out free-hand with scissors or use a 1 inch hole punch.

Tape or glue a circle inside each bottle cap and make sure it’s secure.

Get a bit of ribbon, loop it above, and tape it on the back of the bottle cap.

Now just hang it on your tree and ENJOY your Grinch Ornament! I told you it was super easy – and they look great hanging on the Christmas tree. Now my kids want to add fake antlers to OUR dogs, though! 🙂